Automatic electrical signaling apparatus for railways.



' Patented .IuIy I5, I902. J.-E. SPAGNOLETTI. AUTOMATIC ELEGTBIBAL SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

(Application filed May 16, 1902.)

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T NORRIS PETERS co. mowouruq, wnsnmamu No. 704,943. I

(No ModeI.)

Na. 704,948. Patented July 15, i902.

J. E. SPAGNDLETTL AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

(Application flladjlay 16, 1902.

UNITED STAT-ES PATENT mm.

JAMES ERNEST SPAGNOLETTI, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNALLING SYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,948, dated July 15, 1902. Application filed May 16 y 1902. derial No. 107,683. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns ERNEST SPAGNO- LETTI, electrical engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Goldhawk 5 Works, Goldhawk road, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Electrical Signaling Apparatus for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic electrical railway signaling apparatus, and has for its particular object to provide an electrically-operated multiple switch adapted to control the passage in the signal-circuits of i 5 electrical currents having the tensionin use on the railway for traction purposes. The multiple switch is operated in the one direction electromagnetically and in the other direction by the action of gravity under eleco tromagnetic control, and the making and breaking of the circuits under the control of the switch is effected by direct double contact made and broken between bridging contact-pieces moved by electromagnetic switchoperating devices and pairs of spring-contacts connected withthe respective circuit members in such manner as to avoid all liability of arcing to which ordinary single rubbing contacts would be subject in controlling cur- 3o rents used for electric traction. The circuits to be so controlled by each switch are those of the signals protecting the line-section to which the switchpertains andthat of the electromagnetic device by which the switch 55 controlling the signals pertaining to the preceding line-section is returned to normal position. The switch is permitted to move from normal position by the action of an elec tromagnetically operated switch releasing 4o device, the circuit of the said device (and likewise the circuit of the electromagnetic device for returning to normal position the switch pertaining to the preceding line-section) being under the control of a train-operated circuit-closer contact. By this means the entry of a train on any section has for efiiect to first cause the signal at the commencement of that section to be put to danger. and then the signal at the commencement'of the preceding section to be put to A safety. The. signals controlled by the switches may either be lamps or b'othlamps and semaphore-arms,according as the railway is underground or not, the circuit of the one or other lamp being completed and the one or other lamp being lighted up, as the case may be.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 represents a multiple switch for controlling the signal-lamps of a tunnel-line on which semaphore-arms are not used, and Fig. 2 illustrates a multiple switch for controlling or operating both lamps and semaphores. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the connections of two of a series of similar switches of either kind (that shownin Fig. 1 being taken as an example) with each other and with the train-operated circuit-closer contact.

Each multiple switch comprises two bridgecontacts A B moved together as one and adapted to make connection between three pairs of spring-contacts C O, D D, and E E. In Fig. 1 the switch is shown in the normal position, the contact A then establishing connection between the contacts 0 O and the connection between the contacts D D and E E being broken. In Fig. 2 the switch is shown in the position to which it is moved by gravity upon the passage of the train over the circuit-closer at the commencement of the line-section to which the switch corresponds.

In this position the contact A establishes connection between the contacts D D, and the contact B establishes connection between the contacts E E. For this purpose the contacts A B are carried by and insulated from the same rod F, which is either directly connect ed to the core 9 of a solenoid G, as in Fig. 1, or by a'link g and arm 9 to the axis of the revolving armature g of an electromagnetic motor G, the contacts A B being so spaced relatively to the pairs of contacts D D and E E that connection will be established simultaneously at D and E. The contacts A B are preferably disks clamped upon the rod F between screw or other collars thereon and insulated therefrom by intervening washers a, of mica or ebonite. The rod F is loosely guided at ff, so as to work freely and with little friction, and a spring buffer-stop S is provided to cushion its fall. The switch shown in Fig. 1 is retained in the first-mentioned or normal position by the engagement of a detent h with a shoulder f at the upper end of the rod F, while the switch shown in Fig. 2 is retained in a similar position by the engagement with a latch h of an arm 9 fast on the axis of the armature g, the detent h and the latch 7t being respectively carried by (or moving as one with) the armature 7: of

the switch-releasing electromagnet I and being brought into'position of operative engagement by a spring 2''. The contacts 0 C are connected with the circuit members of the green (or safety) signal-lamp J,and the contacts D D are similarly connected with the circuit of the red (or danger)signal-lamp K, and in the case of the switch shown in Fig. 2

there is a counterbalanced semaphore-arm L,,

fixed on the axis of armature g, so as to move therewith and exhibit the safety or danger position, according as the circuit is completed between C O or D D by the contact A. In the circuits of the lamps J and K there may also be placed repeat-lamps j and 7c, situated in the signal-cabin. The contactsE E are connected the one to the releasing-magnet I of the switch under consideration and also to a train-contact placed alongside the track, as shown in Fig. 3, and the other to the ,coil

of the solenoid G or to the coils of the clock tromagnetic motor G, as the case may be, of the switch controlling the signals pertaining to the preceding line-section. In Fig. 3 M M are two such train-contacts placed about twenty feet past the commencement of the sections to which they correspond and with which a contact-brush on the train makes contact in passing, thereby establishing connection with the earth return-rail N.

P is the live rail.

The details of the circuit connections are as follows, referring to the left-hand switch in Fig. 3: Connected to the live rail P is a main lead 1, inwhich a suitable resistance (not shown) is interposed. From the main lead 1 a branch wire 2 connects by branch wire 3 with one of the pair of contacts 0 and by a branch wire 4: with one of the pair of contacts D. The other contact 0 of the pair 0 O is connected with the circuit 5 of the lampsj and J, while the other contact D of the pair D D is connected with the circuit 6 of the lamps K, both the lamp-circuits 5 and 6 being connected by a common returnwire 7 with the earth return-rail N. From the main lead 1 a branch 8 also connects with one terminal of the releasing-electromagnet I, whose other terminal is connected by wire 9 with a wire 10, which connects one contact of the pair E E with the train-contact M. The main lead 1 also connects with one terminal of the solenoid G or the electromag netic motor G, whose other terminal is connected by wire 11 to that one of the pair of contacts E pertaining to the switch next in order of succession to the switch under consideration, which is not connected to the train-contact M the corresponding contact E of the pair in the switch under consideration being of course connected by wire 11" with the solenoid G or electromagnetic motor G pertaining to the switch preceding in order of succession the switch under consideration.

In operation when during the travel of a train in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the contact-brush of the train (entering the section protected by the switch on the left of that figure) connects the contact M (at the commencement of that section) with the returnrail N, the circuit of the releasing-magnet I (of the switch pertaining to the signals for protecting that section) is completed, the said magnet is energized, its armature is attracted, and the switch-rod F and contacts A B are allowed to fall, as shown in Fig. 2, the contact A thus breaking at O O the circuit of the green lamps Jj and closing at D Dths circuit of the red lamps K 7c pertaining to that section. At the same time the contact B completes at E E the circuit 11 of the solenoid G or electromagnetic motor G pertaining to the switch controlling the signals for protecting the preceding section, whereby the core of that solenoid is attracted or the armature of that electromagnetic motor is partially rotated, (as the case may be,) so

that the switch is returned to and relatched in normal position and the signals which it controls are put to safety. Similarly as re= gards the operation of the switch to the right of Fig. 3 for setting. to danger the signals which it controls and for returning to normal position the switch to the left of Fig. 2 when the train-contact passes over M and so on,- for the switches controlling the signals of each successive section.

By the construction of the double-bridging direct-contact switch shown all liability of arcing (to which ordinary rubbing contactswitches would be liable when controllin g currents of, say, five hundred volts, as used for electric traction) is avoided, while with currents of that tension the imperfect contact liable to be made by direct-contact switches and which would preclude the use of the latter with currents of low tension is of no moment.

I claim- 1. A multiple switch for controlling the electric circuits of railway-signals, and consisting of a plurality of bridging contactpieces carried by a verticallyguided rod adapted to be moved by gravity in the one,

and by electromagnetic attraction in the other direction, pairs of contacts respectively connected to the members of the circuits to be controlled by the switch, electromagnetic means of raising the said rod contact-pieces so as to thereby cause bridging contact to be established between one pair of contacts,- means of latching the rod in the raised posi- IIO tion, and electromagnetic means of releasing the latching device so as to permit the rod' and contact-pieces carried thereby to fall and of the said rod, a spring-actuated latch adapt ed for engagement with the collar so as to retain the rod in the raised position, and an electromagnet whereof the armature is connected to the latch so as to cause the latch to be retracted when the armature is attracted by the magnet.

JAMES ERNEST SPA GNOLETTI.

Witnesses W. M. HARRIS, T. W.-KENNARD. 

